Historical photos finding new life

(John Clark/The Gazette) Millican Pictoral History Museum & Photo Restoration owner Allen Millican has created a website of historic images from around Gaston County for the public to look at and be able to purchase copies. Millican plans to load 5000-10,000 photos on the site. The website can be found at: www.millicanpictoralhistorymuseum.com or you can visit the museum located at 35 Catawba Street in downtown Belmont.

By Diane Turbyfill

Published: Friday, January 17, 2014 at 02:14 PM.

Photo Galleries

Allen Millican makes old photos new again. For more than a decade, Millican has been the go-to guy for historic photos of Gaston County. His broadening customer base has prompted Millican to take his photos into the digital age. Millican has created a website where people can get a glimpse at his collection and order prints online. Photos sell for $15 and $20.

The money helps cover operational costs for Belmont’s Millican Pictorial History Museum. “When I do sell, it helps me keep the museum open,” he said. For six years Millican operated his business out of the second floor of the old Belmont Drug Store. He outgrew that space and moved to Catawba Street.

Though he’s off of Main Street, word is getting out and Millican says he might be outgrowing his current location. “I’ve got the place just packed,” he said.

He started restoring the images as more of a hobby than a profession. Housed in Belmont’s old home, Millican’s business boasts some 15,000 photographs that chronicle the history of Gaston — from pictures of millworkers and families to parades and historic properties. Millican wasn’t always the keeper of local history.

A native of Wilmington, he moved to Gaston County in 1977 to work at a car dealership. After 26 years with Sonny Hancock, he wanted different work. He studied photography and learned to shoot weddings and portraits and restore pictures. One day, a customer brought him a picture of a Belmont parade from 1951. Other people saw his work and started to bring in more old photos. The rest is history.

Millican no longer shoots weddings. Photo restoration takes up all his time. He likes sharing the historic photos with others and often posts pictures on his Facebook page. Area restaurants display some of his collection. Some of the calls and emails Millican gets come from across the country. Not everyone born in Gaston County stays in Gaston County, he says.

You can reach Diane Turbyfill at 704-869-1817 and twitter.com/GazetteDiane.

Allen Millican makes old photos new again. For more than a decade, Millican has been the go-to guy for historic photos of Gaston County. His broadening customer base has prompted Millican to take his photos into the digital age. Millican has created a website where people can get a glimpse at his collection and order prints online. Photos sell for $15 and $20.

The money helps cover operational costs for Belmont’s Millican Pictorial History Museum. “When I do sell, it helps me keep the museum open,” he said. For six years Millican operated his business out of the second floor of the old Belmont Drug Store. He outgrew that space and moved to Catawba Street.

Though he’s off of Main Street, word is getting out and Millican says he might be outgrowing his current location. “I’ve got the place just packed,” he said.

He started restoring the images as more of a hobby than a profession. Housed in Belmont’s old home, Millican’s business boasts some 15,000 photographs that chronicle the history of Gaston — from pictures of millworkers and families to parades and historic properties. Millican wasn’t always the keeper of local history.

A native of Wilmington, he moved to Gaston County in 1977 to work at a car dealership. After 26 years with Sonny Hancock, he wanted different work. He studied photography and learned to shoot weddings and portraits and restore pictures. One day, a customer brought him a picture of a Belmont parade from 1951. Other people saw his work and started to bring in more old photos. The rest is history.

Millican no longer shoots weddings. Photo restoration takes up all his time. He likes sharing the historic photos with others and often posts pictures on his Facebook page. Area restaurants display some of his collection. Some of the calls and emails Millican gets come from across the country. Not everyone born in Gaston County stays in Gaston County, he says.

You can reach Diane Turbyfill at 704-869-1817 and twitter.com/GazetteDiane.